The great son of the Nyírség region is poet Gyula Krúdy, whose works with their dim, fabulous atmosphere inspired by the region made him one of the greatest prose-writers of the 20th century. He was influenced by the romantic landscape of his home land, the mansions of the nobility and the tiny churches reflecting the people' humble faith.

The orchards of the territory are world-famous: the szilvapálinka (plum brandy) of Szatmár is made here, which is the first in the list of hungaricums of the European Union. If you taste the brandy of magnificent flavour, you can praise it only with "tears in your eyes" - after being able to breathe again.

The county is famous for its wooden bell-towers with four turrets. The two largest towers built in late Renaissance and folk baroque styles can be found in Vámosatya and Nyírbátor. The Calvinist church of Tákos, which is not larger than a big cottage, is also called the "bare-footed Notre Dame". This is also the last representative of the churches in the Upper-Tisza region.

In Szabolcs the entrenchments of the earthwork from the age of the Hungarian conquest are 10-12m high. In the restored building of the castle of Kisvárda the Festival of Hungarian Theatres Outside the Borders is held every year, while in the castle garden a restaurant and a bath were established.

In Tarpa you can find the only preserved horse-driven mill of the region. In Dombrád the Railway Museum awaits visitors with a working plotting board and railway relics and it also has an open-air exhibition presenting a locomotive and wagons.

Máriapócs is a Catholic place of pilgrimage, as a miracle happened in the church in the 17th century: the picture of Mary started to shed tears. The baroque church with two towers was built to receive visitors arriving here.

In Nyíregyháza the Town Hall with an arcaded entrance is an impressive edifice built in eclectic style with a Renaissance atmosphere. The Museum Village of Sóstó is an open-air museum presenting the relics of folk architecture in its 4ha territory.

In Fehérgyarmat you can see the mammoth bones found by archaeologists. In the Máthé mansion of Vásárosnamény relics of archaeology and folk architecture are presented. In the baroque Csuha-Kállay mansion of Nagyhalász you can see the works by the artists of the county, as well as an exhibition of local history.

The "barns" of Harangod in Nagykálló designed by Imre Makovecz are parts of a leisure centre awaiting families with interesting programmes. There is a legend about the origin of the look-out tower of Inségdomb (famine hill) saying that several hundred years ago the landlord made the peasants build the hill in return for the cereals they got in the period of famine.